Fountain brush



Aug. 31, 1937. e. u. LE MOINE ET AL 2,091,369

' FOUNTAIN BRUSH Original Filed Oct. 3O 1933 III/ll j/berf J ag/xv,

A TTORVEY.

Patented Aug. 31, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT FFECE FOUNTAIN BRUSH Application Qctober 30, 1933, Serial No. 695,924 Renewed January 26, 1937 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in fountain brushes of that type wherein the flow of fluid from a handle-forming receptacle to bristles carried by a closure for said receptacle is 5 controlled by a normally closed spring seated valve having a projecting stem surrounded by the bristles, whereby the valve will be opened to permit a quantity of the fluid to flow onto the bristles when the latter are pressed with greater than normal pressure against the surface to which the fluid is to be applied.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a fountain brush of the above type in which the receptacle closure is formed in part by the brush back and in part by a retaining cap so applied to the receptacle that removal of the closure necessitates destruction of the cap, thereby rendering the fountain brush unfit for re-use by refilling the receptacle after its original contents have been xhausted.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a non-refillable brush of the above type which is exceedingly simple and durable in construction, efiicient in use, and economical to manufacture.

The invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing, and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional View of a fountain brush embodying the present invention; and

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the plane of line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the fountain brush of the present invention, which is intended for use in applying various forms of fluids or liquids to surfaces, includes an elongated glass or other rigid receptacle 5 adapted to be filled with the liquid prior to application of the combined brush and closure, to be presently described, to the mouth thereof. In accordance with the present invention, the neck of receptacle 5 adjacent to the mouth of the same is provided with a downwardly facing external annular shoulder 6 for a purpose which will presently be described.

The present invention further includes a brush element consisting of a back I of wood or suitable molded material, provided with a central opening 8 and having a reduced upper portion 9 carrying tufts of bristles it in surrounding relation to said opening 8. The lower portion of the 55 brush back 8 conforms in size and shape to the (Cl. 15---l.39)

open upper end of receptacle 5, and is seated at its margin upon the upper edge of the mouth of receptacle 5 to form part of a closure for the latter. The reduced portion 9 of the brush back 7 provides the latter with an upwardly facing external shoulder M, as will be apparent. The closure for receptacle 5 further includes a metallic cap 52 whose top wall is provided with a relatively large central opening in which the reduced portion 9 of the brush back I is snugly fitted and through which the latter projects, the top wall of cap [2 seating flatly upon the shoulder H of brush back 1 about the portion 9. The rim of cap l9 extends below the shoulder E3 of receptacle 5 and snugly surrounds the edge of the larger lower portion of brush back 1 and the portion of the receptacle neck above shoulder 6. The projecting lower portion of cap i2 is crimped or spun inwardly in snug engagement with and beneath the shoulder B of the receptacle 5 so that the brush back i is tightly clamped against the open upper end of receptacle 5 to complete the closure for the latter, a suitable gasket it being interposed between the margin of the brush back I and the adjacent edge of receptacle 5 to complete a fluid tight joint therebetween. By spinning or crimping the lower portion of cap H2 inwardly under and against the shoulder ii of receptacle 5, the closure is secured in place so that its removal requires destruction of cap l2, thereby rendering impractical any attempt to re-use the device by refilling the receptacle 5 and reapplying the brush and closure to said receptacle after the original contents of the latter has been exhausted.

The central opening 8 of the brush back I is normally closed by a spring seated valve disk It arranged to seat against the bottom of the brush back 7 about the opening 8. Rigid with the valve disk M and projecting outwardly through the central opening 8 is an elongated stem 15 that terminates a slight distance inwardly from the outer ends of the bristles H3 so as to be pressed inwardly for un-seating the valve disk M when the bristles it are engaged with the surface to be brushed, under greater than normal pressure. The valve disk I l is yieldingly seated by means of a spring it formed from an elongated piece of resilient metal bent into angular formation to provide an outer vertical arm and a lower inwardly extending horizontal arm as clearly shown in Figure 1. Extending upwardly into the brush back "I near one side of the latter is a relatively deep recess ll in which the upper end portion of the vertical arm of spring It) is positioned. The

upper end of the vertical arm of spring [6 is directed laterally as at l8, while the inner free end of the horizontal arm of spring I6 is turned upwardly as at IQ for engagement in a central depression 26 provided in the under side of valve disk l4. The arrangement is such that when the vertical arm of spring i6 is positioned in the recess ll of brush back 1, and spring I6 is then shifted to engage the end I9 in the depression 25) of valve disk l4, the vertical arm of spring [6 will be shifted so that the lateral end 18 of the same bites into the wall of recess H. In this way the spring is effectively maintained in operative position with its upturned end i9 engaged with the valve l4 so that the latter is held in tightly seated position by the natural tension of the spring 16. In other words, with the parts operatively disposed as in Figure 1, the spring I 6 is tensioned so that the horizontal arm thereof tends to move upwardly toward the vertical arm of the spring, thereby pressing the valve disk l4 tightly to its seat. As long as the valve disk I4 is seated, flow of fluid from the handle-forming receptacle or reservoir 5 through the opening 8 of the brush back is effectively prevented. When the bristles Hl are engaged with the surfaceto be brushed with greater than normal pressure, such bristles will be abnormally flexed to permit engagement of the stem it; with the surface to be brushed, whereby said stem is forced inwardly and the valve M is unseated. This permits flow of a small quantity of the fluid from the receptacle onto the bristles ill for application to the surface being brushed, and when a sufficient quantity of the fluid has flowed onto the bristles, the pressure of the bristles against the surface may be partially released so as to permit the spring I6 to promptly seat the valve disk l4 and out 01f the flow of fluid from the receptacle 5 to the bristles II].

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the construction is extremely simple and economical to manufacture, quite durable, and so constituted as to be efiicient in use. It will be particularly noted that when the receptacle 5 is emptied of its original contents, the brush element and closure may only be removed with clifiiculty and cannot then be readily reapplied to the receptacle 5 for re-use pursuant to refilling the receptacle 5. Minor changes are contemplated in the specific construction illustrated and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What we claim as new is:

1. A fountain brush of the type described comprising, in combination, a receptacle having a neck provided with an external downwardly facing shoulder, a brush element including a back seated at its margin on the edge of the receptacle neck and provided with a central discharge opening, said brush back having an externally reduced upper portion provided with a brushing element in surrounding relation to said central opening, the reduced upper portion of the brush back providing the latter with an external upwardly facing shoulder, a securing cap apertured to fit over the reduced upper portion of the brush back with its top wall seated upon the shoulder of the latter, the rim of said cap being tightly bent beneath the shoulder of the receptacle neck to prevent removal of the cap from the receptacle without destruction thereof and to cause tight seating of the brush back against the edge of the bottle neck, a spring seated valve normally engaging the bottom of the brush back to close said discharge opening in the latter, and a valve stem rigid with said valve disk and slidable through said central opening of the brush back, said stem projecting outwardly through said discharge opening where by the same may be pressed inwardly for unseating the valve disk when the brushing element is engaged with the surface to be brushed under greater than normal pressure.

2. In a fountain brush of the type described, a brush element including a back provided with bristles and formed with a central discharge opening, said brush back having a recess extending upwardly therein from the under side of the same and at one side of said discharge opening, a valve disk for closing said discharge opening arranged to seat against the under side of the brush back, a spring for seating said valve consisting of an elongated piece of spring metal bent in angular formation to provide a vertical arm extending into the recess of the brush back and a horizontal arm having an upturned end engaging the under side of the valve disk, said valve disk having a central depression in which the upturned end of the spring is seated, the vertical arm of said spring having a laterally directed end engaging the Wall of the recess in the brush back to maintain the spring in operative position, and a stem rigid with the valve disk and projecting through said discharge opening,

GEORGE U. LE MOINE.

ALBERT J. GAGIN. 

